March 2014 Quest - First Unitarian Church of Wilmington Delaware

March 2014
Vol. 67 No. 7
Josh’s Journal
A
Quest
Inside This Issue
Theme for the Month: Peace
s many of you know I am a huge fan of science fiction
movies, books, and stories in general. One of my favorites is actually a parody of the science fiction genre by
Tim Burton entitled “Mars Attacks!” In it, some rather typical looking space aliens secretly invade the Earth. Eventually
they make themselves known to humanity with the constant
refrain, “We come in peace!” Of course they don’t, but even
after they have enslaved most of the world the aliens stick to their story,
“We come in peace!”
(We need not mention the B-Movie “I Come in Peace.” It’s bad; but to
the point where it circles around to be exquisite in its badness. The main villain/alien utters only the phrase “I come in peace.” To which the film’s star,
played by Dolph Lungren, at one point famously replies, “But you go in
pieces!”)
The peace the aliens talk about in “Mars Attacks!” is funny because it
violates our unspoken, but very real assumption about peace: that with peace
comes justice. As Martin Luther King said that peace is not the absence of
violence but the presence of justice. Too often peace is simply a cease-fire; a
temporary place holder for the status quo.
System theorists call this “homeostasis.” Homeostasis feels good (for
most people) because it feels like the end of hostility. Meanwhile they are
roiling beneath the surface. But as Martin Luther King would tell us, it isn’t
really peace until a new relationship has been forged. It isn’t really peace
until the system has been changed, and more often than not the system does
not want to change. Peace as the absence of violence is certainly preferable
to the alternative. But without the presence of justice, peace can be hollow.
This month, as we consider the theme of peace we will also be celebrating “Justice Sunday.” Peace and justice rely upon each other. Justice without
peace too easily evolves into vengeance. As the prophet Amos wrote, “Let
justice flow down like water, and peace like an ever-flowing stream.”
May peace in our congregation, our city, and our world become that land
we sing of in our hymns. May it be not merely the absence of hostility but
also the presence of justice for all people who would join us. May they come
in peace.
May You Be Blessed Always,
Rev. Dr. Joshua Snyder
Page 1
Journeying Together .........2
Upcoming Services ...........2
Leadership Link ................3
Stewardship ......................3
Membership Journey ........4
Adult Programs .................5
Office Ministration ...........7
Board Planks .....................8
Special Offering ................8
Compassionate Action ......9
Monthly Worship Themes
September – Courage
October – Faith
November – Brokenness
December – Joy
January – Empowerment
February – Generosity
March – Peace
April – Confession
May – Grace
Welcome!
Sunday services begin at 10:30 a.m.
For upcoming services, go to page 2.
Children & Youth Religious Education starts at 10:45 a.m. Childcare is
available in the Youth Center from
9:30 - 10:15 a.m. before the service
and 11:50 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. after the
service.
Journeying Together
Upcoming Services
t had a slow start, at least at first. There was a slight tingling in
my hands and feet, and then it began to spread
and become painful. The next thing I knew, I could
barely walk and had been admitted to Johns Hopkins Hospital where nurses were checking to make
sure I could still breathe every thirty minutes or so.
As best as I could, I tried to surround myself with
things that gave me hope – a picture of my family, a
blanket that my sister had given me, and the comfort of a few favorite books. When you’re in the hospital, dozens of
people walk through the door each day; one study actually found it
was over 100 different visits! Every time someone came in my
door, I looked up expectantly, at the time not realizing that I was
wishing for it to be someone from my church. My minister, someone from the caring team, a friend from the church, anybody. But it
never was. About a month later, I got a card from the church, and I
nearly cried because it showed me how much I had wanted to see
them sooner. I had longed for support from that part of my life and
knowing that they cared about me. I cherished the community and
my part in it, and I craved some reminder that they cared about me
as well.
Now here’s the catch: as much as I wanted my church to reach
out then, I had to be honest with myself about why they didn’t.
They didn’t know to because I had never told them. I never called
the church office, hadn’t contacted my minister, didn’t even tell
anyone in the committees that I was on or in my small group. The
church didn’t know that I was going through anything that they
could support me through. There are so many challenges that come
up in our lives, whether they are hospitalizations, losses, changes in
living situations, illnesses… many different times when we may
hope for the support that our friends and our communities can give
us. Support can make a difference in helping us to get through difficult times. Please let us know when support would help. And by
the way, I love making visits in the hospital – remember I’m a
trained hospital chaplain. Please let me know what I can do!
Blessings,
Mar. 2: Rev. Michelle Collins.. “Finding Peace
Anywhere.” Looking here, looking there, can we
make peace everywhere? On this anniversary of
Dr. Seuss's birthday, we'll take up a question that
he engaged as well –where is there a need for
peace in our world, and how well are we doing
with making it happen?
Mar. 9: Rev. Dr. Joshua Snyder. “Creating
Peace.” In 2010 the UUA’s General Assembly
passed a document entitled “Creating Peace.” A
response to the war in Iraq, “Creating Peace” laid
out a contemporary vision for what peace would
look like in modern day America. It is an inspiring document that is grounded in our Unitarian
Universalist values and theology. Come celebrate
the UUSC’s “Justice Sunday” by being a part of
that vision. Mar. 16: Youth Sunday. “Colorful Endings.”
Spring is a colorful and uplifting season. New
beginnings are commonly associated with the
spring, and with beginnings come endings. The
Youth Group offers you their refreshing ideas and
unique perspectives on colors and how they relate
to our lives. Mar. 23: Rev. Dr. Joshua Snyder. “Faith of the
Heart.” Thich Nhat Hanh notes that peace begins
inside each of us. From each individual radiates
out peace to our families, our communities, and
eventually all the way to the nation and the world.
Peace is not exclusive to the activists, but also
within the grasp of everyone who deeply engages
in spiritual practice.
Mar. 30: Rev. Dr. Joshua Snyder. “Reptiles Are
Serious.” Neurobiology has a lot to teach us
about our brains and how they have evolved. The
“reptilian” part of the brain is among the oldest
parts of the brain and in charge of instinct and
reaction. Later developing parts of the brain
bring to us our sense of soul, the self, rationality,
and yes humor. Science and religion come together in a mutual quest for peace in our relationships.
I
Rev. Michelle Collins
Assistant Minister
SAVE THE DATE
A Conversation with
YWCA’s New CEO, Michelle Basham
Mark your calendars!
Sunday March 23 • 11:45 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Brunner Chapel
June 25-29, Providence, RI
Join the conversation and meet YWCA Delaware’s new CEO,
Michelle Basham. Hear how YWCA Delaware has often been
our partner in fighting racism and the future outlook.
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UUA General Assembly 2014
Most General Assembly events will be held in
the Rhode Island Convention Center, 1 Sabin
Street, Providence, RI 02903.
The theme for General Assembly 2014
is Love Reaches Out.
Leadership Link
Stewardship
n Rev. Josh Snyder’s January 26th sermon, he talked
about technical and
adaptive change. Technical change has a solution
that is easy to identify: if
the roof is leaking, you
hire someone to fix it.
Adaptive change is when
the circumstances of our lives have changed beyond
our control, such as losing a family member. Dealing
with adaptive change is more open ended and complex.
First Unitarian is facing an adaptive change with our
decreasing budget and the need to decrease our staff.
At the congregational meeting on February 2nd, many
church members began to embrace the adaptive change
as an opportunity for the church to grow.
One Horsepower Is
33,000 Foot-Pounds Per Minute!
I
There may be some things that First Unitarian can
no longer do, but that may free us to find new opportunities to do better things or do things better! We cannot
grow and be great if we let our new circumstances drag
us down. Every single one of us has some energy that
we can put into the church. However, the energy we
give to the church should be energy that will feed ourselves in the process. How do we do that? By participating in events or helping with activities that are
meaningful to each of us. For every person that will be
something different.
While one person will feel fulfilled by working outside with Mother Nature, another person will become
energized by leading a discussion. First Unitarian needs
to know what talents and interests will bring you joy to
share with the rest of us. That way, the right opportunities to help First Unitarian or the community will present themselves to the right people. So, please click
here to fill out the Gifts and Talents Inventory. (If you
do not have internet access, copies are available in the
church office.) It does not obligate you to volunteer,
and no one will be calling as soon as you hit “submit”
to sign you up for a team. But, it will eventually connect you with the activities that will not only enrich
First Unitarian Church, but will enrich yourself as well.
I can’t wait to see what this church can do when we
put our hearts and minds together!
Edris Harrell
I
n the 19th century Scottish inventor James Watt watched
some ponies working at a mine and
calculated that one horsepower was equivalent to 33,000 foot-pounds per minute.
That’s not just a handy piece of trivia to be
brought out the next time conversation
lags at a party – it’s a useful thing to keep
in mind during our Stewardship Campaign.
Our theme this year is “Empowering Our Beloved Community,” and all of those words are important. For today, the
one that matters most is “empowering.” Actually, to adapt the
standard term “horsepower,” we can say that what we have
here at the First Unitarian Church of Wilmington is more like
person power. But we could go even further and say that it’s
spirit power. The thing is, though, we don’t have a useful criterion for measuring spirit power, do we?
We all know by now that money is a necessary component
of spirit power. We have to pay our staff, pay the utility bills
and so forth. But we can also ask whether we have a spiritual
dynamometer – an instrument that measures, not horsepower,
but spirit power.
Fortunately, we have the financial totals that Steve Cohen
compiles with his consummate professionalism, and we are
very grateful to him for this valuable service. If you want to
add your numbers so that Steve can compile them, you can
access the online pledge form here.
We want to add to Steve’s numbers the intangibles that
produce those numbers. The best we can do to convey the
intangibles that bring us together is to use words like “faith,”
which we people usually use about churches, and “hope,” as
in “hope for a better future,” which we Americans use a lot.
But those words have been used so much that they’ve lost
some force. They don’t move the needle on the dynamometer, which is fancy way of saying that they don’t generate
enough horsepower to bring the buckets up from the mine.
To generate the horsepower necessary to inspire people to
make the pledges to meet our budget, we want to have the
quiet force of trust. We trust that we will have enough trust in
each other, and therefore in the agreements we make, that the
First Unitarian Church of Wilmington will continue to be the
force for the good that it has always been.
Jim Curtis
Leadership Development Team
Stewardship Team
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The God Free Group
Membership Journey
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Sunday March 16 • 12 Noon ▪ Music Room
Working for Peace in Community
n 1966, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. addressed the UUA
General Assembly in Hollywood, FL, saying:
“All I'm saying is this: that all life is inter-related, and somehow we are all tied together. For some strange reason I can
never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to
be, and you can never be what you ought to be until I am
what I ought to be. This is the inter-related structure of all
reality… This realization is absolutely necessary if we are to
remain awake in this revolution.”
T
his is our last meeting of this church year. If you
were the God Free Queen or King of the Forest:
 What would you do?
 How would you change things as basic as our
paper currency, the way people are “sworn in”
for public office or court testimony, the way
we use profanity, the way we sing in church,
and other established societal norms?
If I was Queen or King of the Forest…. Now is your
time to share your visions. Some examples of how people in the past have done this will be explored. Did you
know Theodore Roosevelt did not use a Bible for his
inauguration? Hmm.. and more!
A Celebration of Celtic Music
O
We UU’s share Dr. King’s passion for interconnectedness
and peace for all. Over the years, members of First U have
been active in many peace movements such as Pacem In Terris. An intergenerational group of more than 20 of us joined
with others in Arizona a few years ago to protest the inhumane treatment of undocumented immigrants in Phoenix. Today in our church there are multiple opportunities to
join together for peace and justice such as the Coalition to
Dismantle the New Jim Crow, EDR, the ILYA program and
our environmental justice initiatives. Check out the Ministry
for Compassionate Action on page 9.
Did you notice the UU Standing on the Side of Love
t-shirts in the January 26 News Journal photo of dozens linking hands in a prayerful city protest against the ongoing violence in Wilmington? Those were our members, Chris Garrett
and Jeff Lott, joining with others like our own Terry Walls
and the Wilmington Peacekeepers. The photo can be seen
here. While we can all do this work as individuals, it is important to do it together as a church community, where we
are linked together through our shared values, helping each
other be what we ought to be, together, as Dr. King expressed. Even more, we can partner with other religious and
secular groups who like us, are inspired to make a visible difference in our community in the world.
In peace,
Nancy Pinson, Membership Team Lead
n April 13, our choir and musicians
will offer a somewhat different Big
Music Sunday. Instead of a major work,
we will celebrate a musical heritage –
Celtic Music.
Flutist Kimberly Reighley, English
Horn Lloyd Shorter, cellist Doug
McNames and percussionist Scott Davidson will join Scott and the choir to offer some beautiful and stirring examples of a music that has a direct
path to anyone’s heart.
Musical excerpts from the movies, The Lord of the
Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the
Witch and the Wardrobe will be played, along with traditional tunes from Brian Boru’s March to an a capella
arrangement of Danny Boy.
To honor the struggle Irish Americans had to establish themselves in America, reader Rebecca Fisher will
share excerpts from Frank McCourt’s award winning
memoir Angela’s Ashes.
A great morning of music and celebration. Bring a
Friend.
S
Bring-A-Friend
ome of you may remember our Bring-A-Friend
program from years past. This year we are bringing a version of it back for Big Music Sunday, April
13. Bring a friend (or 20) and your guest(s) will receive
a beautiful flower and a tasty gift. Bring the most
friends (non-members or of First U) and you will receive a prize yourself!
For more information look in This Week, E-News,
and flyers around the church later in the month.
Page 4
Sunday Morning “Faithful Dialogues”
9:30 - 10:15 a.m. in Brunner Chapel on 2nd Floor
Child Care is Available – 1st Floor Youth Room Starting 9:15 a.m..
Date
Topic
Facilitator
Mar. 2
A Right Relations Dialogue. We will focus on our Covenant of Right Relations, adopted by the congregation in May 2008. Are we achieving our Ends
that pertain to right relations?
Jeff Lott
Mar. 9
Science and Secularization: Part I. How has public secularization affected
spirituality? We will view and discuss this and other questions explored in a
2012 symposium of the Chemical Heritage Foundation.
Barry Marrs
Mar. 16
Science and Secularization: Part II. In this second segment of the Chemical
Heritage Foundation’s 2012 symposium, renowned scientists and religious
scholars look at differing views of science and secularization.
Barry Marrs
Mar. 23
Science and Secularization: Part III. How have modern redefinitions of science’s scope and authority and the social position of the scientist played into
secularization? Part III of this video sparks our final discussion of this fascinating topic.
Barry Marrs
Mar. 30
Revisiting Your Elevator Speech. What do you say when you’re going from
the sixth floor to the lobby and somebody asks you, “What’s a Unitarian Universalist?” Please share – or consider anew - your personal elevator speech.
Rev. Michelle
Nancy Pinson
Each dialogue is stand alone and registration is not required. Just show up! Visit the Groups & Programs Table
during coffee hours after Sunday services for more information about Faithful Dialogues and other programs.
G
Vegan Dinner!
Sunday Adult Forum
reen Sanctuary is sponsoring a
Vegan Dinner on Wednesday,
March 26, from 6 - 8:30 p.m. in the
Parish Hall. Come and try delicious,
nutritious, home-cooked vegan entrees, soups, salad, desserts.
While enjoying the meal, learn about vegan eating – ingredients, recipes, health benefits, immunity. How can eating whole,
unprocessed food satisfy you and enrich your life?
Recipes will be provided. Families welcomed!
Suggested donation:
$7 adults - $5 children 12 and under
RSVP:
Signup sheet in church office and in
Parish Hall at coffee hour.
Payment:
Checks payable to First Unitarian
Church of Wilmington
Contact:
Elizabeth Siftar, Green Sanctuary Chair
302-354-1809 or email:
esiftar@gmail.com or any Green
Sanctuary member
Page 5
Meets weekly from 9:30 - 10:15 a.m. in Room 25.
Childcare is available.
Religion and Ethics Newsweekly – Meets first Sunday of the Month. This fascinating PBS series explores world events from the perspective of a variety
of world religions, as well as the current-day tribulations and triumphs within communities of faith.
Come to discuss the intersection of faith, ethics and
our times.
Confucius, Buddha, Jesus and Mohammad –
Meets 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Sundays of the month.
Adult Forum continues the 36-session video series
by Professor Mark Muesse. Each session is 30
minutes with 15 minutes of discussion led by Jim
Davis.
World Water Day Water Walk
Saturday, March 22 • 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Newark Reservoir
Benefits Water is Life - Kenya
To learn more, go to www.waterislifekenya.com
Register Now for the
2014 JPD Assembly!
Thank You CYRE Volunteers!!
T
he religious education for our UU Children would not
be possible without the help of many hands in our
church. We would like to recognize our volunteers who
spend countless hours making First U a welcoming and educational experience for our children and youth. Thank you for
sharing your gifts with our church!
Debbi Zarek
Suzanne Shahan
Natalie Matthias
Julie Brewer
Holly Feldheim
Laurie Farnese
Jen Hann-Deschaine
Beth Fallon Ross
Paul Jacobs
Terri Hansen
Joel Pust
Ed Sugzdinis
Melissa Sugzdinis
Matt Sargent
Fernanda Sargent
Ben Fleury-Steiner
Amy Gunderson
Jon Claney
Amy Abrahamson
Jackson Salasky
Melanie Thompson
Edris Harrell
Victoria Lobo
Ned Gladfelter
Wendy Gladfelter
George Huhn
Rev. Kathie Thomas
Liz Marek
Steve Marek
Brian Williamson
Anna Hamilton
Laura Hanby
Gwen Gagnon
Travis Laster
Becky Laster
Jacquee Lukawski
Suzie Cornell
Sharon Snyder
Grace Laster
Theme: A People So Bold!
April 11-12
ACE Conference Center
Lafayette Hill, PA
Featured Keynote Address
Kindling Hope in a Difficult World
by Rev. Kathleen McTigue
Director of the UU College of Social Justice
More highlights include:

Interactive Worship on Friday led by Rev.
Peter Friedrichs, UU Church of Delaware
County

Enjoy a Friday night Concert by Reggie &
Kim Harris (www.kimandreggie.com)
Reception Friday night after the concert
Awards for the Outstanding UU, Young
Adult and Youth in the JPD



Recognition of Youth Empowering and Support (YES) Churches, Outstanding Chalice
Lighter and Chalice Keeper

Cluster Conversations on Saturday for networking to see who is our neighbor and how
we might work together
20th Anniversary Women’s Retreat

“Connection and Celebration”
17 Interactive Workshops covering many
topics of interest - many different offerings.

Bookstore well-stocked with up to date offerings including books, UU clothing and
jewelry
SAVE THE DATE!

Friday, April 25 - Sunday, April 27, 2014

Exhibits from diverse UU organizations
Interactive Worship on Saturday led by
Rev. Kent Matthies, Unitarian Society of
Germantown
Inviting All Delaware UU Women!
T
The Virden Center, Lewes, DE
he Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Newark
(UUFN) is celebrating the 20th Anniversary of our
annual Women’s Spirituality Retreat. As part of our celebration, we are opening our arms to include other UU
women in this joyous weekend of love, laughter, learning
and spiritual sharing. It is a wonderful way to deepen our
connections as women, as UUs and as beings of spirit.
For more information and registration materials, go to
uufn.org and click on the Women's Retreat link.
Page 6

Children's programming will be offered on
Saturday and complimentary childcare will
be provided throughout the conference.
Sleeping rooms are available at the beautifully
appointed ACE Conference Center.
Registration is now open on-line at jpduua.org.
Check out the printable brochure or the online event
page for reservation instructions. Questions? Please
contact Cristina Sanchis at cristina@jpduua.org or
Joan Priest at joan@jpduua.org.
I
Booster Cards Can
Really Earn Us Money!
Office Ministration
have been helping with booster cards for several years now
but I have been buying boosters cards for about 25 years (first
at my kids’ school and now here at church).
I can probably count on one hand how many times I have bought
groceries at my main store without a gift card!
I just want to thank those who have been buying booster cards
over the years. It has been very helpful. In August, I started to
keep track of who buys cards each week, and I want to give a
shout out to them. Between July 2013 and January 2014, the
church has earned $2,900! Can you imagine how much we could
earn if more folks joined in?
Many thanks to: Renee Anderson, Bev Bach, Noreen Bayly,
Jen Brown, Dee Burdash, Cindy Cohen, Suzie Cornell, Noriko Craven, Barbara Crowell, Jim Davis, Leslie Dickerson,
Phil Dowd, Maggie Duffy, Ruth Fleury-Steiner, Helen Foss,
Donna Gonzalez, Drew Hansen, Bill Hardham, Edris Harrell,
Sydney Jiminez, Marian Larotonda, Helen Lewis, Jacquee
Lukawski, Liz Marek, Mary Jo Metz, Marge Meyermann,
Parry Norling, Cathy Palmquist, Barbara Perry, The Pinsons, Suzanne Proud, Shirley Peters, Lucy Rabe, Peggy
Rawheiser, Elyse Reznick, Mary Jane Simmons, Linda Sanders, Sarah Straughn, Dale Stratton, Rev. Kathie Thomas, Eileen VanRavenswaay, Jim & Lori Weddell, Betty Wier, Bob
Wynn, Debbie Zarek, Brandi Chavis, Rev. Michelle Collins,
and Scott Ward.
Why not think about adding your name to our list? It’s easy
and profitable. And if you want to use your credit card, we can do
that too!
Elyse Reznick
March Day of Mindfulness Retreat
" To meditate does not mean to fight with a problem. To meditate
“
means to observe. Your smile proves it. It proves that you are
being gentle with yourself, that the sun of awareness is shining in
you, that you have control of your situation. You are yourself,
and you have acquired some peace."
Thich Nhat Hahn, “To Meditate”
I
f you use our automated giving
service to make your regular
pledge payments, please be sure to
renew your authorization for the
new fiscal year, July 1, 2014
through June 30, 2015. All authorizations for the current year expire on June 30, 2014.
You can update your authorization by doing one of
the following:
 You can access the online form here.
 You can print a paper authorization form,
here and deliver it to Brandi in the church
office
 You can pick up a paper form in the
church office
If you have made arrangements through your
personal bank, be sure to update them with any
change to your regular pledge donation amount.
Thank you for your generous support of the work of
First Unitarian Church!
Taking care of business,
Marina VanRenssen
Business Manager
F
riendly people needed to staff the church office on Sunday mornings from 10:15 a.m. to
noon. Do you like to talk to people? Answer questions about our church? On Sunday mornings, we
need someone in the office to greet visitors, take
messages, and answer the phone. This is a great
way to serve our congregation, and an easy way for
newer members to try volunteering. Interested?
Please contact Marina in the church office,
marina@firstuuwilm.org or Peggy Rawheiser,
Peggy@rawheiser.com.
O
n Saturday, March 8, 2014 the First U's
Open Heart Zen Sangha will celebrate
the last few weeks of Winter with a wonderful
day of meditation practices, including outdoor
walking (weather permitting). A delicious vegetarian potluck lunch will be served. All are
welcome regardless of experience. The retreat
will be held in the Brunner Chapel from 9-3 and a $25 donation
is requested (Cash or check made payable to First Unitarian
Church of Wilmington). If you plan to attend, please contact Ben
Fleury-Steiner by cell phone 302-379-6918 or email
openheartzen@gmail.com.
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Sunday Office
volunteers needed!
D
Space Available for
Parties and Meetings
id you know you can rent our space for nonchurch related parties or meetings? Click here
to learn more about our facility and discounted rates
for church members. Rental income helps support
our operating budget, so if you need a space for a
celebration, please contact Brandi at 302-478-2384
or email her at brandi@firstuuwilm.org.
Board Planks
March 2014
March Special Offering
Justice Sunday: UUSC
Our New Road
Caminante, no hay camino. Se hace el camino al andar.
Searcher, there is no road. We make the road by walking.
—Antonio Machado, Selected Poems
(Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1982)
t the February Board of Trustees meeting, we learned more
about the work of our Strategic Planning Committee, which has
been working since last summer to lay out a practical five-year map
for the future of First Unitarian Church. Following as it did the February 2 congregational meeting on the staffing plan, the strategic
planning report injected new energy into the board’s work. We are
confident that this plan will connect our mission and ends to the
practicalities of achieving them.
Co-Chairs Drew Hansen and Suzanne Perry, and members of the
planning committee (Donna Curtis, Becky Laster, Barry Marrs,
Mike McCabe, Linda Sanders, Jan Shay, and Rev. Josh Snyder) have
posed a series of “driving questions” for us to ponder and answer
over the past few weeks:
 How do we want our church to inspire us?
 How can our church have a more positive impact in our community?
 How can we leverage our financial resources – both dollars and
real property – to better live our values and achieve our ends?
 How can we promote a culture of volunteerism at First U?
 How can we attract more new members?
 How can we increase membership retention?
Your input was requested in the E-News and the Order of Service
for the past three Sundays. If you missed those opportunities, your
thoughts on any or all of these questions are welcome before March
7. Speak to any member of the committee or send an email to
strategicplan@firstuuwilm.org. The plan will be previewed by the
board in April and presented to the congregation at the Annual Meeting in May.
As many of us know, such plans have a way of finding their way
to a shelf somewhere, never to be heard from again. This plan will
not suffer that fate. The board will create a new standing committee
on planning to monitor its implementation. Going forward, the Executive Team and volunteer leaders will have an answer to the question: What is it important for us to do? They will create the work
plans and budgets that enable these new strategies to unfold and lead
to the accomplishment of our larger goals as we more fully live our
Ends and Mission.
What kind of a church will First U become over the next five
years? We cannot predict where our path will lead us, and there are
many roads along the way. From the many positive expressions of
voluntary support heard at the February 2 meeting to the current
campaign for your financial support, I feel that there is hope in the
air. Let’s make our new road by walking it together.
A
Jeffrey Lott
President, Board of Trustees
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U
nitarian Universalist Service Committee
(UUSC) continues to work on our behalf
throughout the world, because Unitarian Universalists like us provide ongoing support. Although UUSC is not part of our church budget,
throughout fiscal year 2013, members and
friends of our church, individually, gave over
$18,200 to UUSC for its various programs. For
more information, go to www.uusc.org.
Bill Schulz, President and CEO of UUSC
recently stated: “UUSC has considerable experience in dealing with the aftermath of disasters. Through our experience, we know that
those who are marginalized before a disaster
even hits – low-income people, women and girls,
religious and ethnic minorities, immigrants –
will bear the greatest suffering. We are on the
ground in countries affected by some of the
worst humanitarian crises to support sustainable relief and recovery that protects the human
rights of all people.” This is true whether the
focus is the Philippines’ Typhoon Haiyan,
Tacloban viral infection crisis in Kenya, Haiti
earthquake, or multiple crises in the Middle
East.
In addition, UUSC works on environmental
justice, inequality, human right to water, fair pay
rights of workers, victims of torture and detentions, plus it is working to prepare a new generation of human rights activists through its new
UU College of Social Justice (UUCSJ). Bill
further reports: “Since launching the UUCSJ,
almost 200 participants have joined 14 servicelearning trips to Haiti, spending their days
working side-by-side with our partners at the
Papaye Peasant Movement. In conjunction with
Boston’s City School Program, this past July we
hosted 20 UU youth for our Youth Justice Training. And through our Summer Internships for
Young Adults we sponsored nine college-age
young people in their placements around the
world and plan to rapidly expand the program
for next summer and beyond.”
If you want to make a difference as a UU,
there is no better place than UUSC. Your donations and contributions, are helping “justice to
roll down like water” in numerous critical situations around the world. Please give generously
on March 9, 2014, through our Special Offering. For more information, contact Doyle Dobbins at d.dobbins@verizon.net.
F
Ministry of Compassionate Action at First Unitarian
irst U’s Ministry of Compassionate Action includes all who work “under the umbrella of social action.”
Do you have information to share about your social action work? Next Quest deadline is March 10.
Contact: Lynn Ingersoll at lynningersoll@gmail.com.
Coalition to Dismantle the New Jim Crow
Recent attention has been focused on Ban the Box to remove the
conviction box on employment applications to reduce discrimination in the employment process and expungement of records.
Governor Markell has shown interest, and the Coalition is in
dialogue with the Attorney General’s office. Our action committee advocates for a change which will only maintain convictions
on the record.
The forum subcommittee would like to hold a major conference in the fall on the topic of Voting Rights.
The Freedom School, a program of the Children’s Defense
Fund held at the Mother African Union Church, was highly successful last summer and will expand next summer to two sites.
Please consider joining us and keep up to date on our progress through the website, www.dismantlenjc.org. You may also
contact Rev. Maiorano at paulamaiorano32@gmail.com or 302798-9966 or Joan Priest at 610-869-9335 or joan@jpduua.org to
learn more.
Our group has put together a Speakers Bureau with expert
speakers on a range of topics. Here is the current list:
Taking Action to Protect the Delaware Bay’s Shorebirds, Horseshoe Crabs, and People by Laura Chamberlin of Manomet
Sunday March 23 is Irish Night at EDR!
Green Sanctuary – Save the Date: March 26!
Vegan Dinner - March 26, 2014 at 6 p.m. Come out to enjoy a
delicious vegan dinner. For more information, please check the
flyers around church and see the article on page 5.

Wind Power for Your Home and Church by Donna
Gonzalez of First U

The Proposed Wilmington Inner City Initiative by Ed
Klinge of Trinity Episcopal Church in Wilmington

To Frack or Not to Frack by Mike Rominger of St.
Paul's United Methodist

The Heat Health Advisory Project by Jane Schaefer of
the New Ark United Church of Christ

Hosting Wednesday Night Supper Programs at Your
Church by Bruce Shumway of Trinity Presbyterian

The DeIPL Operating Model by John Sykes, President
of DeIPL and a member of the UUs of Southern Delaware

Climate Change, Sea Level Rise, and Flooding by
Chad Tolman of First U
ILYA (Independent Living for Young Adults)
Recently, I spoke at one of the Supper Programs at the Trinity Presbyterian Church on Naamans Road. There were a lot of
good questions and discussion afterwards. Our next NC3 meeting will be at 7-9 p.m. on March 11 at First U, Room 29. Laura
Chamberlin will speak. All are welcome.
To learn more or to participate in NC3 of DeIPL, contact
Chad Tolman at Ctolman141@gmail.com
Our EDR efforts in January were a bit…challenging. Since the
19th fell on a Sunday we had to move our cooking date to a nonSunday, but EDR is always accommodating, so that wasn't difficult, and the First U team has come to embrace this wrinkle. So
no problem getting enough help for our rearranged cooking day
of January 16th. And then the serving team arrived at EDR on
January 17th only to find out the ovens were on the blink! But
our trusty crew managed to juggle ovens and get the casseroles
heated in time for lunch. In the end, the “Above and Beyond”
award for January goes to the First EDR crew of Sally Christian, Cindy Cohen, Suzie Cornell, J. Harry Feldman, Pam
Finkelman, Sue Fuhrmann, Nancy Pinson, Barbara Pratt,
and Bob Ullrich. Thanks for making it possible for us to continue serving a hot lunch to those in need in Wilmington in January! (Want to be a part of the fun? Contact Cindy Cohen at
cindyscohen@comcast.net.)
Don't forget the monthly International Dinners to benefit Emmanuel Dining Room! Irish Night (hosted by Del Tech Culinary
Arts) is March 23rd; if you're interested, or if you'd like a list of
all this year's dinners, contact David Weiss by email
kdweiss1@verizon.net or phone 302-668-7431.
The New Castle County Congregations of DE
Interfaith Power and Light (NC3 of DeIPL)

Emmanuel Dining Room – Share the love!
On Feb 9th, Faithful Dialogues was honored to host two recipients of support from the First U Independent Living for Young
Adults (ILYA) program. Ashley and Dion overcame events no
child should experience to not only achieve personal success but
also reach back to help others. Kyrianna also shared her story
(she aged out of foster care before there was an ILYA) which
echoed the challenges these young people face when encountering not only hardships but also support when it is offered.
We heard such gratitude… for furniture that kept them from
sleeping on the floor, for cookies or other “goodies” that helped
get through exam week – (“just knowing there was someone out
there that cared”), for a grant for half of the required security
deposit or lose the apartment and be homeless, again!
To say this was a sobering experience would be a gross understatement. But the most exciting part of the too-brief time
together was the insight they provided about how we need to
think when reaching out to these young people… what their real
needs are (both practical and emotional) and how best to offer
our support. Watch next month for more on what we learned. To
help with ILYA, contact Betty Wier at bwier@UDel.Edu. Contact J. Harry Feldman at JHarryF@aol.com or 302-654-0681 for
furniture questions.
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Church Staff
Reverend Dr. Joshua Snyder
Reverend Michelle Collins
Scott Ward
Catherine Williamson
Marina VanRenssen
Brandi Chavis
Kanchalee Reeves
Terry Walls
Reverend Dr. Robert Doss
Board of Trustees
Senior Minister
Josh@firstuuwilm.org
Assistant Minister
Michelle@firstuuwilm.org
Honorary Minister of Music
iamscottw@aol.com
Director of Religious Exploration
Catherine@firstuuwilm.org
Business Manager
Marina@firstuuwilm.org
Congregational Adminstrator
Brandi@firstuuwilm.org
Publications Assistant
Kanchalee@firstuuwilm.org
Building Supervisor
Terry@firstuuwilm.org
Minister Emeritus
Executive Team Portfolios
Rev. Snyder – Membership, Leadership Development, Social Justice, Worship
Rev. Collins – Pastoral Care, Adult RE, CYRE, Connections, Communications,
Rites of Passage
Marina VanRenssen – Finance, Personnel, Rentals, Denominational Growth
Donna González – Buildings & Grounds, Green Sanctuary
Jeff Lott
President
Suzanne Perry
Vice President
Patricia McGee
Recording Secretary
Maggie Duffy
Trustee
David Harrell
Trustee
Drew Hansen
Trustee
Doyle Dobbins
Trustee
Leslie Dickerson
Trustee
Ostin Warren
Trustee
Non-Board Officer
Steve Cohen
Treasurer
This Quest covers March 1 to 31, 2014. The next Quest newsletter will cover events from April 1 to 30, 2014. Quest is a monthly
newsletter publication of the First Unitarian Church of Wilmington, Delaware.
Submission deadline for Quest is by noon on the 15th of each month for events the following month.
Any announcement suggestions for the Order of Service and the Broadcast E-news must submitted by Tuesdays at noon and will
be placed according to available space. If possible, please make submissions via e-mail to programadmin@firstuuwilm.org.
Otherwise, neatly prepared copy can be submitted to the Publication Assistant’s mail box in the church office.
730 Halstead Road, Wilmington, Delaware 19803
Phone: 302-478-2384 — Fax: 302-478-2622
Web: FirstUUWilm.org
March 2014
Our Mission:
First Unitarian Church of Wilmington is a
beloved community that nourishes minds
and spirits, fights injustice, and transforms
the world through loving action.
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